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SB 1501 ensures women have access to safe and early abortion care SB 1501 ensures women have access to safe and early abortion care

SACRAMENTO -- Sen. Christine Kehoe, (D-San Diego) introduced legislation to ensure women have safe and early access to comprehensive reproductive health care from trained local providers they know and trust. Introduced February 24, SB 1501 would allow nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide early safe abortion under the terms of their licenses.

"Access is an important aspect of women's reproductive health," Sen. Kehoe said. "SB 1501 will ensure that all women have access to providers they know and trust in the communities where they live."

More than half of California's counties do not have an abortion provider. Without access to a local provider, some women must travel significant distances to obtain services. Insome rural areas of the state, women must drive five hours or travel by bus or train for care. Having to raise money to cover travel costs or secure childcare also causes delays in care.

It's a story that Ana Rodriguez hears every day. Her organization, ACCESS Women's Health Justice, helps women every day by providing referral services to those seeking reproductive health services and information. Every year more than 1,000 women call ACCESS's toll-free bilingual reproductive health line. Callers seeks information about abortion as well as practical support, including rides, housing and childcare from her network of over 100 active volunteers across the state.

"With no local providers in their communities, many women have to find child care, borrow money for bus fare and find a place to stay while they receive care," Rodriguez said. "No one should have to overcome these types of hurdles to access a simple, safe and legal medical procedure."

California has a long history of supporting a woman's personal decision regarding termination of a pregnancy. In contrast, Congress and state legislatures passed almost 100 laws in 2011 to defund reproductive health services and limit access to care.

"California must continue its leadership in protecting women's health and ensuring women's access to safeand early abortion care in their own communities," Kehoe said. "I'm proud to introduce a bill to improve access and remove barriers to quality care."